San Diego Chargers are Moving to Los Angeles

Via: profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/01/11/report-chargers-to-announce-move-to-los-angeles/

The San Diego Chargers appear to be no more. 
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PFT has confirmed that the Chargers will soon announce their intention to move to Los Angeles.

The NFL had given the franchise an extensionthrough the weekend on their option to join the Rams in L.A. In the end, the Chargers didn’t need the extra time to make the decision. The Chargers have played the last 55 seasons in San Diego after moving south after one season in Los Angeles in 1960.

The Chargers will join the Rams as a second team in the L.A. market. They were given a one-year option to move the franchise to Stan Kroenke’s stadium in Inglewood when their joint proposal for a stadium with the Raiders in Carson, Calif. was rejected last January. After a failed ballot initiative for a new stadium in San Diego failed in November, the Chargers have elected to exercise that option to move.

The ESPN report says the Chargers have informed Commissioner Roger Goodell and owners of their intention to move for the 2017 season. However, a formal relocation letter has not yet been sent to the league.

A letter from Dean Spanos pic.twitter.com/rTNIvrsN1A

— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) January 12, 2017

If you want to be an ass hole you can make the point that the Chargers are technically going home. In 1960, their first season in the AFL they were the Los Angeles Chargers. After one year they moved to San Diego and called that city home for 55 seasons. 

With the inabilities to get a new stadium in either of their respective cities the rumors of both the Raiders and Chargers moving have been swirling for years. The Chargers move seemed inevitable after the city of San Diego came up short for Measure C an act that would've raised hotel taxes in order to help fund a new stadium. San Diego tried to get a new stadium for over a decade.  Now since it seemed  like a new San Diego stadium was never going to happen the Chargers are moving 100 miles north to share the Rams new stadium once it opens in 2019.

Moves like this show the true side of sports. It's a business and despite all the talk they don't give a fuck about the fans. It's about money. Couldn't be more clear when 55 seasons isn't enough to save a marriage between city and team. Yes to move the Chargers makes all the sense in the world economically; they don't have to pay to build a new stadium since they're sharing a brand new one with the Rams. The L.A. market is huge, they say sharing that market with the Rams will still make them more money than having all of San Diego to themselves. But they are turning a blind eye on a city that has loved them for 56 years really rubs me the wrong way. 

As a football fan and especially as AFC guy I hate this move. The Chargers are San Diego. Despite never winning a Super Bowl in the city they were beloved. Sure attendence numbers were down but that would happen anywhere in a prehistoric stadium with a subpar team on the field. There's a ton of history in the franchise going back to the days in the old AFL with HOF WR Lance Alworth and coach Sid Gillman. 1963 AFL Champions. Then in late 70's and early 80's it was Air-Coryell with Dan Fouts and Kellen Winslow. The Epic in Miami. They made the Super Bowl in the 1994 season. A team that is now remembered in tragedy for the high number of players on the roster who died prematurely, most nobably San Diego's favorite: Junior Seau.  Then it was LT and Drew Brees followed by Phillip Rivers, and Antonio Gates. This team has a lot to be proud of. 

I just feel horrible for the people of San Diego. I can't imagine how it must feel to have your favorite team taken away from you. They're losing part of their identity and also it will negatively impact the city financially as all of the jobs in the stadium are gone. All the money generated in hotels, bars and restaurants from games are gone. When Lebron left Cleveland the city took a huge hit economically for the loss of revenue from how it impacted the team and they didn't even lose the franchise. Just a player. The team was still there. I can't imagine how much this will huge the city of San Diego from an economic standpoint. It's just really sad day and I feel terrible for the people of San Diego.

Now a city that didn't have football for over 20 years now has two teams. I just have a feeling despite the new super stadium that this move is not going to go over well. LA is a different animal, it's not a football town, it's Hollywood, they won't show up if the team is bad.  The novelity of the Rams seemingly wore off late in the season this year as they were playing in front of a half empty stadium. 

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What's even worse is they're going to be sharing a stadium with the LA Galaxy, a soccer team that holds about 27,000 people until their new home is finished. It's an absolute joke for an NFL team to be playing somewhere so small. ​

Per @ProFootballTalk - Chargers will play in the Stub Hub Center (where L.A. Galaxy play) the next two years until stadium is ready.

— Jason Smith (@howaboutafresca) January 12, 2017

But worst of all, the greatest team song in the history of the NFL is ruined. No more San Diego Super Chargers. I honestly listen to this song once a week it's so fire. You can take away the team but you can never take away this funky jam. 

P.S. This is the new Chargers logo and it is garbage. It's like the LA Dodgers and Tampa Bay Lightning had a one night stand and this popped out.  It looks like something a freshmen in high school made on the first day of an intro to graphic design class.